Quebec Competencies Chart - The Blockbuster Movie

Description: This lesson introduces students to the phenomenon of the “blockbuster” movie – its history, characteristics and influences. Students will also explore the role of audience in the creation of a “blockbuster” and analyze their own responses to current blockbuster films. Students will learn about the process involved in turning a film into a blockbuster by devising promotional campaigns for an imaginary movie.

Cross-curricular Competencies

Broad Areas of Learning

To use information

To solve problems

To exercise critical judgment

To be creative

To adopt effective work methods

To use information and communications technologies for learning purposes

To work with others

To communicate appropriately

Media Literacy

This lesson satisfies the following English Language Arts Competencies from the Quebec Education Program:

COMPETENCY 2 Reads and listens to written, spoken and media texts

Constructing a Reading of a Text

Focuses on a topic and/or issue that is of interest to her/him to construct an efferent reading, (e.g. makes sense of the text by coming to terms with the ways in which a topic has been developed by a writer/producer)

Focuses on the relationship between self as reader and the text to construct an interpretive reading

Activates relevant prior textual knowledge before, during and after reading text(s) to monitor the meaning(s) s/he is making, (e.g. uses what is known about a writer/producer and her/his style to make predictions, draws on knowledge of structures and features of a specific genre, applies knowledge of codes and conventions particular to specific texts)

Activates relevant prior personal knowledge and experience to make sense of a text which is frequently expressed in text-to-self connections, text-to-world connections, text-to-text connections

Asks questions of self, writers(s) and text(s) as s/he reads to clarify and focus reading

Determines the most important ideas/messages/themes in a text

Draws inferences from a text

Retells or synthesizes what s/he has read, e.g. attends to the most important information and the quality of the synthesis itself to better understand the text

Reader, Text, Context

Draws inferences about the view of the world presented in a text

Identifies dominant elements and interprets their use, e.g. point of view, specific literary conventions, structure and sequence of argument, patterns of cause and effect

Identifies the characteristics of the writer/producer and evaluates how these influence meaning, i.e. how stance, socio-cultural context, values and/or beliefs shape the world of the text

Examines how language (word, sound and image) is shaped to present ideas and information

Justifies her/his interpretation(s) of texts on the basis of own fluency as a reader

Evaluates the way specific codes and conventions of a spoken/written/media text are employed to have an impact upon the assumptions, actions, values and beliefs of readers:

codes and conventions of a specific genre that are employed to have an impact on readers in general or on a target audience in particular

mode(s) of representation (sound, word and image) that influence the message(s)/meaning(s) of a text and how these reveal the intention(s) of the writer/producer(s)

linguistic and textual features that situate or position the reader, e.g. connotations and denotations, stereotypes and bias, aspects of characterization and setting that evoke a specific emotion or response, appeals to mainstream values and beliefs

features and conventions of favourite genres and how these are used to special effect, e.g. in a mystery or a romance novel, in a magazine article

Interrelates characteristics of the writer/producer(s) of a text and self as a reader:

recognizes the use of rhetorical strategies, e.g. use of first person to convey attitudes and feelings about an issue/topic, appeals to common beliefs or values in a culture, appeals designed to evoke a certain age group

COMPETENCY 3 Produces texts for personal and social purposes

Researching as a Writer/Producer

Researches aspects of the media and publishing industries to best produce, market and distribute their products:

investigates how texts are produced and under what conditions

examines how a text is vetted, marketed and distributed by a producer to its target audience, e.g. how a book gets published, how a trend is created

Assuming Roles as a Writer/Producer

Adopts a stance to a topic and audience appropriate to the genre

Assumes a variety of roles

Applies language conventions to establish relationships, e.g. using gestures to elicit sympathy; using statements, conditions and commands to imply control and power; tilting the camera up to show authority

Characterizing an Audience

Investigates how different target audiences use and respond to particular texts:

identifies factors that constitute a target audience and evaluates how media texts are shaped to suit them

compares and contrasts own responses, reactions and use of texts with those of peers, family, other households and more distant audiences

compares and contrasts texts within a social function, i.e. Why do people produce them? Who has access to these texts? Do they serve the same purpose? How do they communicate the values of a community?

evaluates the structures, features, codes and conventions used

evaluates the affordances of genre and mode, e.g. why a news article works better in a certain situation than a memoir

examines how language (sound, word and image) is shaped:

to represent and/or exclude people, events, ideas and information

to organize and develop ideas

for special effect

Uses texts as models to guide production:

refers to model text(s) throughout the production process

creates criteria for guiding production

identifies specific structures and features to reproduce own interests, purpose and audience